Get all the latest Nationals news from MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

Johnson is more than just a manager to Cora

Infielder Alex Cora is the only player on the Nationals’ current roster to play for new manager Dave Johnson.

As a member of the Dodgers, Cora played for Johnson in 1999 and 2000. Cora remembered Johnson as a great communicator with the players.

“He is a winner. He has always been around winning teams. It going to be good to have him here,” Cora said. “The organization have a plan in place and he is not going to deviate from that. He will ask the team to respect the game and play hard. And if we keep doing that, then we’ll are going to be fine.”

Cora’s best memory of Johnson has nothing to do with what he did on the field. He remembered Johnson as a caring person. Cora has heart procedures in November of 1999 and January of 2000.

When Spring Training started in ’00, Johnson was honest with Cora, telling him he wasn’t going to make the team out of Spring Training. Johnson wanted Cora to take it slow and get his body in shape.

“He sent me down for a month and once the Dodgers called me up, Davey gave me a shot to play,” Cora said. “I learned a lot from him and the veteran guys that we had.

“Davey trusts his veterans. He will trust that we will take care of these kids [on the Nationals]. I think it’s going to be a good situation.”

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.